How To Lean In & Keep Going Forward

The writing life is filled with opportunities and challenges. As writers, our work gets rejected. We pour huge energy into writing which gets published in a book then does not sell. Our bills pile up and we wonder how we will be able to make the money that we need.

While I've written books which have sold over 100,000 copies, I also experience the range of emotional ups and downs that I put into the opening paragraph. Writers have to be actively looking for the right place for their writing to get published—whether in a magazine or a book. Your material has to find a connection with an editor or literary agent to find a champion to guide you through the process. The writers who succeed take action when they face feelings of discouragement and rejection. 

Here's some action steps when you get these types of feelings:

1. Adjust your mindset. Your mindset will be reflected in your actions and I encourage you to take a different course of action. When writers get rejected once or twice, many of them will decide, “No one wants this book.” In contast, authors who get published will decide they have not knocked on the right door yet and will move to the next publisher. Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen were rejected over 160 times with Chicken Soup for the Soul. When rejected, they looked at each other and said, “Next.” This single word is hopeful and a tool you can use with your own rejection.

2. Approach a new audience. I've got a number of marketing books on my shelf. One of the most thorough is 1001 ways to Market Your Book by John Kremer. It's always wise to open this book and read a few of the ideas, then take steps to implement one of them. It will propel you forward.

3. Create a new product (online or in print). If you are looking for some insights. Listen to this free interview with marketing expert Bob Bly, then actively take action in a new direction.

4. Write something different.  If you are writing books, then write a magazine article or post to your blog or beef up your social media. Moving in a different direction will help you keep going ahead.

5. Get some fresh air. Walk around the block or take an exercise break. Just changing your position, will help you.
From my years in publishing, here is a simple truth: everyone has issues in their life. Children are ill or worse. Our cars break down. Our parents grow old and ill or any number of other issues.  What is the distinction between those people who get their work into print and into the market and those who do not? The people who succeed take act. They move ahead in spite of what else is happening. 

The key is not to mope around and get discouraged, stop or stagnate. Move forward. Read some of my Pro-Active Author columns on The Wordsmith Journal or some other blog. Lean into your situation.

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Insight Into A Bestselling Author

Last week, Forbes released their list of the earning power of the top book authors. You can follow this link to learn more of the specifics. In this entry, I want to pick up on some characteristics of the 10th author on that top 10 list: Nicholas Sparks.

The October 10th issue of Entertainment Weekly arrived in my mailbox yesterday with a terrific article about Nicholas Sparks called True Believer by Karen Valby. The lead-in to the article says, "you don't write 14 best-sellers in 14 years by accident. Inside the relentless, romantic, exhausting, and critic-proofing plan of Nicholas Sparks.

I'd encourage you use the link to read the entire article about Sparks but in particular for this entry on The Writing Life, I want to pick up on one paragraph:

''I'm efficient,'' he [Nicholas] clarifies, with an amused smile. On his official website, the numerically specific description of the author — ''He's 5'10'' and weighs 180 pounds. He is an avid athlete who runs daily, lifts weights regularly, and competes in tae kwon do. He attends church regularly and reads approximately 125 books a year'' — squares with his similarly methodical approach to writing. A novel takes him a few months to conceive and then five months to write. He sets a daily goal for himself of 2,000 words. He writes for five to six hours a day and types approximately 60 words a minute, which he says leaves him with 54 minutes an hour to stare at the computer and six minutes to actually write. ''See,'' he says, with a friendly shrug of his shoulders, ''it's not an unbelievable pace.''

There is a great deal packed into this paragraph. Notice his commitment to regular exercise. This value is something that wasn't a part of my life for many years but now it is a part of my regular routine. Anyone who "follows" me on Twitter can see that I regularly get on my treadmill for exercise. It helps my overall health, brings new ideas and energy into my schedule. It's something I recommend for you to think about and commit to fitting into your own writing life.

Also notice Nicholas Sparks regularly attends church. In a similar way the spiritual connection is a key component of my own writing life--and again something I mention from time to time on Twitter.

In addition, Nicholas Sparks understands the value of reading. His website includes a reading list with some of his favorites. I'm also constantly reading fiction and nonfiction books in a variety of areas. This information feeds into my own writing and editorial work on a daily basis. It's another key element that you need to be aware of for your writing life. Are you committed to reading and absorbing new information or books?

Finally notice the discipline involved in his writing pattern and goal of 2,000 words each day. It's common when many writers are producing a manuscript or an article to set a word count goal for themselves. The old saying is true: if you aim at nothing you will be sure to hit it. What steps can you take today to move forward and achieve your own writing goals? I'd encourage you to learn some of these key lessons from Nicholas Sparks.